Industry

If you, like me, enjoy the freedom to buy used games as and when you want to, you may want to look away now. In a patent application revealed today Sony has made the first move in killing off the used games market once and for all. The buying and selling of used games is...

Former Square Enix President Hisashi Suzuki has predicted that the merger between the two companies which make up the unified games developer/publisher will fail. Suzuki’s prediction comes via Twitter, where he recently tweeted the following. 時価総額１２４０億円。エニックスと合併前でも１５００億はあった。合併は完全に失敗。未来に対するビジョンが無い。スクエニＨＤ、４～９月最終赤字54億円　開発費が重荷　日本経済新聞 s.nikkei.com/PT5VFz — 鈴木　尚 (@Hisashi_Suzuki) November 6, 2012 Part of which translates as: “Merger will fail completely. There is no...

The current PlayStation Store isn’t all that impressive, with slow-loading times, blocky and uninspired aesthetics, and a distinct lack of features compared to the Xbox Live Marketplace. What it needs is a hefty overhaul… … and that’s exactly what it’s about to get. Sony pulled back the curtains on the new PlayStation Store design at...

Sony is suing both Bridgestone Tires and its advertising company Wildcat Creek over the alleged use of the Kevin Butler character made famous by the Japanese tech giant. For those not aware of Kevin Butler, he was the star of a long series of PlayStation commercials which pegged him as a cheesy-yet-officious Sony executive in...

Cliff Bleszinski (AKA CliffyB) has announced he is leaving Epic Games. CliffyB is one of those game designers with a certain notoriety, and he experienced considerable fame thanks to his reputation. Bleszinski’s reason for departing the company responsible for the Unreal and Gears Of War series is just that he needs a break after working...

Microsoft has rolled out a new initiative as part of its Xbox Live Rewards program. It rewards Xbox Live Gold members for their Gamerscores, built up by getting achievements in Xbox 360 games. Those with Gamerscores between 3,000 and 9,999 will be classified as a Contender and earn a “special gift” (worth $0.25!) on their...

Sony’s Vice President of Hardware Marketing John Koller recently spoke to IGN about all things PlayStation, and some of the things he had to say were particularly interesting… Koller reiterated the earlier claim that Sony continues to be committed to the PS3, stating that the company is “very pleased with the PlayStation 3,” and it...

The first free-to-play title is heading for Xbox 360, with Happy Wars set to land on Xbox Live in the fall. The game, developed by Toylogic and published by Microsoft Studios, is a multiplayer combat game. Happy Wars sees you controlling a character in the midst of a huge online battle between up to 30...

Sony has closed its Liverpool Studio down, killing off the developer best known for the Wipeout series of games such as Wipeout 2097 and Wipeout HD. Originally known as Psygnosis, the developer was bought by Sony in 1993 and rebranded in 1999. Most of the staff will now be relocated to other Sony studios, but...

There was a strange twist to Sony’s E3 2012 keynote. As well as all of the new games on display, some of which – The Last Of Us, Beyond: Two Souls – look awesome, there was a new edutainment title for Move revealed. It’s called Wonderbook and it’s a combination of physical book, Move wand,...